Trinamool Rebels Align With Nationalist Citizens Party Amid Legal Questions
WHO:
Hindustan Times - Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar stated, "We command two-thirds majority. We will be part of the NDA and work under the leadership of the Prime Minister."
NDTV - Shantanu Dey, NCPI leader, initially opposed the merger but later stated, "We are a small party and want to work for West Bengal."
Hindustan Times - Twenty rebel Trinamool Congress lawmakers, including Yusuf Pathan, Saayoni Ghosh, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, and Sukhendu Ray.
NDTV - NCPI president Uttiya Kundu and treasurer Shewly Kundu.
NDTV - Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, leading the rebel faction.
NDTV - Sudip Bandyopadhyay, a close aide of Mamata Banerjee.
WHAT:
NDTV - The NCPI was registered with the Election Commission as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP) in 2022.
NDTV - The NCPI received total donations of just Rs 1.13 lakh, according to Election Commission records.
NDTV - NCPI candidates contested in seven constituencies during the 2023 Tripura assembly elections but only appeared on the ballot in two, receiving a total of 822 votes.
Hindustan Times - The twenty rebel lawmakers declared a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
NDTV - The NCPI was registered as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party (RUPP) on January 20, 2023.
NDTV - The NCPI received total donations of Rs 1.13 lakh.
NDTV - The NCPI candidates contested in seven constituencies during the 2023 Tripura assembly elections but only appeared on the ballot in two, receiving a total of 822 votes.
NDTV - The merger will reduce the Trinamool Congress's Lok Sabha strength from around 28 to eight MPs.
WHERE:
Hindustan Times - The merger was announced to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
NDTV - The NCPI is based in Bengal but contested elections in Tripura.
WHEN:
NDTV - The NCPI last contested elections in 2023.
NDTV - The rebel faction plans to make a demand for recognition as a separate parliamentary group in July.
WHY:
NDTV - The merger aims to avoid legal complications that come with forming a separate bloc.
Hindustan Times - The move aims to avoid triggering the anti-defection law.
NDTV - The NCPI aims to represent deprived tribal communities in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) region.
HOW:
NDTV - The rebel MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking separate seating arrangements after announcing their split from the Trinamool.
Hindustan Times - The rebels presented their letters of merger in person to the Speaker.
NDTV - The rebel MPs met with the Speaker to seek separate seating arrangements and submitted a letter for recognition as a separate parliamentary group.
(UPDATED June 15, 2026 20:10 UTC)
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar announced that her party commands a two-thirds majority and will join the NDA, working under the leadership of the Prime Minister. Meanwhile, NCPI leader Shantanu Dey, who initially opposed the merger, expressed a desire to focus on serving West Bengal as a small party. The merger is intended to sidestep legal complications associated with forming a separate political bloc, following the rebel MPs' meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to request separate seating arrangements after their split from the Trinamool.
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(UPDATED June 15, 2026 08:52 UTC)
Twenty rebel lawmakers from the Trinamool Congress, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, have officially merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, or NCPI, a party that was registered as a Registered Unrecognised Political Party in January 2023. This merger, announced to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, is expected to significantly reduce the Trinamool Congress's representation in the Lok Sabha from around 28 to just eight MPs, while the NCPI aims to advocate for the needs of deprived tribal communities in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council region. The rebel faction plans to request recognition as a separate parliamentary group in July, and they have already met with the Speaker to discuss separate seating arrangements and submitted their letters of merger.